Month: December 2010
How to Use Panning to Make Your Photography Come Alive
How to Use Panning to Make Your Photography Come Alive As photographers, we are always looks for new techniques to improve our work and make our images stand out. As I was starting out in photography this often lead me to additional purchases of lenses, software and accessories. But there is something you can do…
Merry Christmas in a FUNKY Bokeh Photographer Way
Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate. I wish you a wonderful day, spent with family, good food, warm thoughts, health and love. As a photographer, I hope you are able to capture memories with your snapshots and images. If you are in the mood to try something fun and different, check out the…
My 15 Second Photoshop Edit * For White Studio Backdrop Look
How to achieve a 15 Second Photoshop Actions Edit * For White Studio Backdrop Look One of my customers, Isabel San Jose, emailed me with her dilemma. She lives in Manila, Philippines and did a commercial product shoot for a clothing company. She has 100+ photos to edit from their upcoming line and her customers…
How to Photograph Tonight’s Lunar Eclipse
Tonight will be the final lunar eclipse of the year. This will be the second lunar eclipse of 2010 but the only total lunar eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse the moon change change color from very dark gray, to bright orange to blood orange. A lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch…
How to Price Your Photography – Q&A with Alicia Caine {Easy as Pie}
Here is a transcript from the 1 hour Live Text Chat on the MCP Actions Facebook Page with Alicia Caine from Served Up Fresh {Easy as Pie} – pricing for photographers You will see the question a participant asked, and then the answer from Alicia (AC). We hope to do another LIVE chat with her…
5 Ways to Successfully Cope with Holiday Portrait Sessions
5 Ways to Successfully Cope with Holiday Portrait Sessions The holidays are a busy time for everyone, but I had no idea how busy my third holiday season as a photographer would be. If you do not prepare and think ahead, you may get worn down. So as I wrap up this final month of…
9 Years Old * Happy Birthday to Ellie and Jenna
9 years ago today, I drove myself to the hospital, as I assumed I would be getting routine tests. I was feeling very large, uncomfortable, and unsure what was next. Hours later, I was handed the most amazing 2 miniature people in the whole world, Ellie and Jenna. At approximately 5 pounds each, they were…
Color Pop Photoshop Actions: Blueprint by Crave Photography
Check out this amazing before and after Blueprint by Andee Tate of Crave Photography. Her work is just beautiful and inspiring! She edited this photo using the following mix of Photoshop actions: All in the Details – Details {Extreme Color} – color brushed on at 70% opacity Magic Skin: Used the Powder Your Nose action…
Taking Great Children’s Portraits: Bring on the Fun
Taking Great Children’s Portraits: Bring on the Fun Photographic trends vary widely from photo journalistic to highly stylized to formal. I am by nature an observer and therefore tend to embrace the photo journalistic style of children’s portraits. That being said, I am also in business and very few clients are willing to pay me…
End of the Year Tax Preparation for Photographers
End of the Year Tax Preparation for Photographers It’s that time of year again…and no, I’m not referring to all that Christmas shopping you need to get done. It’s the time of year to make sure you get all your business records in order so tax-time isn’t as stressful as it has been in the…
Pricing Help + Winners of the Easy as Pie Pricing Guide for Photographers
Pricing photography? Last week was Pricing Week here at MCP Actions Blog. Thank you to all who attended the live chat with Alicia Caine from Easy as Pie and Served Up Fresh. I hope you learned a lot about pricing. I plan to have the main questions and answers from that session up in about…
Vintage Photoshop Actions with a Twist of Contrast & Color Pop
This Photoshop actions Blueprint Fan Share was submitted by Amber Snead, who wanted a higher contrast vintage look. The step-by-step Blueprint: This photo was underexposed and lacked contrast. I started by using the Quickie Collection to address these issues: Ran Extreme Fill Flash action to brighten the entire photo Used Color Flair – this action…
Play the MCP Name Your Price Game for Photographers
Play the MCP “NAME YOUR PRICE GAME” for Photographers If you are a professional photographer, please enjoy playing this game. If you are looking at your prices and wonder if they are on the high end or low end, you will want to check out the game. And if you are just starting your business,…
The Holiday Disaster – Award Winning Story by Ellie Friedman, Age 8
One of the proudest moments a mom can have is when she watches her daughter reach for her dreams – and she accomplishes them! One of my twin girls, Ellie, dreams of being an author when she grows up. She envisions writing and illustrating children’s books, non-fiction stories, and even realistic fiction. If she is…
Photographing Abstract Macro Ice Images and Creating Works of Art
Photographing Abstract Macro Photography Ice Images and Creating Works of Art As we enter into the first phase of winter here in the northern regions of the US, we find less and less to shoot outdoors. The colors have all disappeared and the plant life has wilted and faded away until next spring. Once the…
Getting Vivid Color Pop & Contrast With Photoshop Actions
This Photoshop actions Blueprint Fan Share was submitted by Kattrina Holt of Sassafrass Photography, who loves vibrant color pop and contrast in her images. Her step-by-step Blueprint: I opened the image in Lightroom 2 and warmed it up Then I opened it in Photoshop CS5 and used the MCP action set Bag of Tricks. I…
How to Photograph Star Shaped Bokeh for the Holidays
Creating and Photographing Shaped Bokeh for the Holidays: Hanukkah, Christmas and more… One my favorite things about taking pictures during the holiday season is all of the pretty lights that always seem to be in the background of everything I shoot. “Bokeh” can be defined as the aesthetic quality of blur, or the way a…
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